Braiding-machine.



PATENTED JUNE 11,1907.

R. C. RAHM. BRAIDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 001214. 1904.

I'll mi.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT C. RAH M, OF WYOMISSING, PENNS YLV ANIA, ASSIGNOR TO TEXTILE MACHINE WORKS, INCORPORATED, OF WYOMISSING, PENXSYLVANIA.

BRAlDlNG-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed October 14, 1904. Serial N 0. 228,393.

' ously-formed braids laid one upon the other and having their threads interchanged in the process of manufacture so as to unite the two; a main object being to provide for producing various figured or embroidery effects by employing different colored carrier threads, by mtroducing different colored warp thread and by providing for making a plurality of turns of certain of the carriers at determined polnts in their course, in connection with a regulated interchange of the carriers of the respective courses;

The invention is fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and the' novel features arespecifically pointed out in the claims; the improved fabric which is referred to as produced thereby and process of making same being separately described and claimed in a divisional application, Serial No. 285,821, filed November 4th,

Fi ure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a brait ing machine embodying my invention; aportion thereof showing the communicating race-circle courses with switches controlling the carrier movements therein, and the remaining portion indicating the pitchcircles of the carrier operating gears and the jacquard connections to the switches. Fig. 2 is an'enlarged sectional view showing two gears ofv the outer course in mesh with two of In Fig. 1 a portion of such series of intermeshing operating gears b indicated by their pitch circles. These horn gears, as they are termed, are located between the top plate g and the bottom plate 7c, as shown in Fig. '2, and are provided with peripherally notched disks b which engage the carriers to traverse the latter in their serpentine course.

In my improved machine I provide a second complete race-circle course In, having a separate terminal gear arranged parallel with the course 71, and having the same number of race-circles. each arranged tangential to an adjoining circle of the inner course so as to afford communication between the two whereby the carriers of each course may be diverted into the other. To regulate this interchange of carriers, a series of switches c c c is providedbetween the two courses, the points of which switches are adapted to open or close such communication as determined by the position to which they are swung upon their pivotal supports: This position being automatically controlled, as indicated, by. a suitable jacquard mechanism j and wires 1' extending therefrom to the switches.

As shown in Fig. 1, the parallel race-circle courses h and m are arranged concentric, with the race-circle centers of both courses on the same radial lines, but with increased race-circle diameters in the outer course as required. The horn-gears of both courses being arranged for the same number of carriers, it is necessary that they be rotated in equal times notwithstanding the necessary difference in diameters. This is conveniently 21CCO111Pl1Sl18(l,ZIS indicated in Flgsl and 2, by arranging the gears of the inner course m mesh with each other, and each of the outer as to mesh properly with the closer-pitched teeth of the inner 'ears. v

When each set oi carriers is held to its own course two separate braids will heformed,

the runs being as indicated in Fig 3; The

manner of accomplishing thiswill be understood by reference to Fig. 1, in which it will be seen that the carrier indicated at e will be effects.

held to its normal outer course by the switch 0 when the latter is set as shown; and that the turning of said swtch innnediately after the passage of said carrier ,6 will serve in like manner to retain the carrier (Z upon its normal inner course. Thus in order to retain the carriers in their respective outer and inner courses the switches 0 must be kept swinging from one side of the run tothe other, in proper time, by the jacquard mechanism. The separate braids thus produced will be of (11a erent colors if the carriers of the two runs are provided with differently colored yarns. It the switchc however be moved to reverse positions to those just considered then the carrier 6 would be caused to pass into the inner course and the carrier d into the outer one; and being of different colors d would, for instance show as white in black on the outer, and e as black in white on the inner side of the product, while at the same time uniting the otherwise independent braids in a single fabric To enable the securing of additional ornamental effects in connection with the interchanging of the outer and inner course threads, provision is made for causing any desired carrier to make a plurality of turns on a given gear or gears before pursuing its normal course. For this purpose a second series of switches 00, as shown, are so arranged as to permit a temporary reversal of any carrier movement. 1n this connection also, the outer course is shown provided with loops at adapted to set back carriers whose motion has been thus reversed, in order to avoidcollisions which would otherwise result. The carriers are traversed in these loops by gears indicated at 23 Fig. 1, which, as shown, are each driven by an adjacent outercourse gear a and are provided with only two carrier-engaging horns instead of the four provided, on gears a and b. Another series of switches r are provided to put these carriers into or out of action as determined by the j acquard. Provision is also made for introducing warp threads of desired colors into the fabric, either through the spindles of the gears or the switch posts or both as indicated at s and t iirFig. 1, around which warps the carrier threads are laid soas to cover or to show them as required for different figure It will be readi y understood that the mechanism described enables a very great variety of ornamental effects to be produced in a fabric made up of two braids the threads of which are interchanged as stated and also that the preferred construction and arrangement of parts specifically shown and described may be modified without departing from the invention.

VW-ha-t I claim is 1. A braiding 1nachine comprising two parallel connnunicating race-circle courses the movement of said carriers from one course to the other.

3. A braiding machine comprising two parallel communicating race-circle courses having separate terminal gears, carriers traversmg said courses, switches controlhng the movement of said carriers from one course to the other, and separate means for temporarily reversing the movement of certain of the carriers as desired.

4. A braiding machine comprising two parallel communicating race-circle courses having separate terminal gears, one of said 'courses having set-back loops, carriers traversing said courses, switches controlling the movement of sand carriers from one course to the other, and separate reversing and loop switches.

spindles-around 'which the carriers swing,

and switches controlling-the movement of the carriers from one course to the other.

6. A braiding machine comprising two parallel communicating race-circle courses having separate terminal gears, carriers traversing said courses,'hollow warp-thread spindles betwecnthe two courses, and switches controlling the movement of said carriers from onecourse to the other.

7. A braiding machine comprising two parallel communicating race-circle courses having separate terminal gears, carriers tra versing said courses, switches controlling the movement of said carriers from one course to the other, and hollow warp-threadspindles for said switches.

S. A braiding machine comprising two concentric communicating racc-circlc courses having separate terminal gears, carriers traversing said courses, and switches controlling the movement of said carriers from one course to the other.

9. A braiding machine comprising two concentric courses having radially alincd inter communicating race-circles with separate terminal gears, carriers traversing said concentric courses in equal tunes, and switches controlling the movementot' said carriers too ing'horn-gears, a corresponding outer circle In testimonywhereof, I aflix mysignature,

of similar horn gears of larger diameter in the presence of twowitnesses:

driven 1'n unison with sairi inne1' circle 01' ROBERT C RAHM.

gears, carriers traversed umrormly 1n the respective courses by said gears, and switches Wihrases:

controlling the nrovemem of said carriers D..Y\I.S'r1\'v.-un, from one course to the other. W. G. Siuamurr. 

